Enrollment Management News

Enrollment Management is excited to announce that Raquel Aparicio (She/Her/Ella) will join us as the new Director of Student Outreach and Engagement (DSOE). Her start date will be Monday September 11.

Raquel will join us from the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, where she is currently the Community and Place-Based Solutions SoCal Manager. She regularly connects with local government, community-based organizations, community colleges, K-12 entities, and higher education leaders in this role. Her prior experience includes working as the Admissions Supervisor at San Diego Mesa College, as Associate Director of Admissions at Point Loma Nazarene University and at the South County California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP). Raquel has her Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Raquel brings over 17 years of experience in higher education to this role including leadership roles in enrollment management, student affairs and financial aid. She will work under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management (AVC-EM) Jim Rawlins to support advocacy, education, pipeline-building, and high-level collaboration for a wide array of outreach activities and initiatives across UC San Diego. Raquel will also be responsible for communication among campus partners while facilitating the strategic expansion of external relationships with local CBOs, community colleges, K-12 entities, and more. As a member of the AVC-EM’s senior leadership team, she will collaborate with EM leadership as well as with a wide array of campus partners including the campus resource centers, outreach programs, Extended Studies, Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and more.

We sincerely thank Blia Yang, Executive Director of Admissions, for providing leadership direction as the chair of the search committee and deeply appreciate the members of the committee for their time, commitment, and insights throughout the search process.

Please join us in congratulating Raquel as she embarks on this inaugural role here at UC San Diego. We are excited for her to bring her skills in building collaborative partnerships to Enrollment Management and the broader campus community.

Jim Rawlins
Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management

Enrollment Management is excited to announce that Dr. Lucy Wenqian Dai (she/her) will join us as the new Director of Enrollment Management Analytics, effective May 15, 2023.

Dr. Dai will be joining us from the University of Virginia where she is currently the Senior Data Specialist for Institutional Research and Analytics. In this role, she analyzes and manages student enrollment, admissions, financial aid and human resources data for the university. Her prior experience includes working as the Senior Institutional Research Associate at North Carolina A&T University and as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of South Dakota. Dr. Dai has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of South Carolina where her dissertation was titled “A Dynamic Examination of the Racial Inequality in Housing Wealth in the U.S.”

Dr. Dai brings her expertise in statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and data visualization to this role. She will work under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management (AVC-EM) Jim Rawlins to provide strategic planning and forecasting for the department and oversee data analytics. Dr. Dai will also be responsible for developing and monitoring long-range operational goals and performance measures as well as implementing an integrated plan for data forecasting within EM. As a member of the AVC-EM’s senior leadership team, she will collaborate with EM leadership, Institutional Research, and colleagues across campus in this role.

We sincerely thank Christine Hurley, Executive Director of Institutional Research, for providing leadership direction as the chair of the search committee and deeply appreciate the members of the committee for their time, commitment, and insights throughout the search process.

We also extend our gratitude and appreciation to Data Analyst Sandy Whitten for managing all data and analytics needs during this vacancy and the search process. Whitten will assist in Dr. Dai’s transition to UC San Diego.

Please join us in congratulating Lucy on her appointment. We are excited for her to bring her skills in data analysis, knowledge of enrollment and financial aid data, and passion for higher education to Enrollment Management and the broader campus community.

Jim Rawlins
Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management

It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Blia Yang as the Executive Director of Admissions within Enrollment Management, effective November 14.

Yang will be joining UC San Diego from the University of California, Santa Cruz where she currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Her prior experience includes serving as Associate and later, Interim Director of the UC Santa Cruz Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as Assistant Director of Transfer Services at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Office of Admissions, and as Director of the Santa Barbara Consortium of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP). In these roles, she has provided innovative and transformative leadership, managed and facilitated strategic program planning, and worked as a collaborative partner with faculty, departments, campus colleagues, Office of the President, and more. Yang has a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from California Lutheran University. Yang’s 22 years of experience in both undergraduate admissions and college preparation programs will allow her to bring a breadth and depth of experiences to UC San Diego.

As the Executive Director of Admissions, Yang will work under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management (AVC-EM) Jim Rawlins to lead a team focused on recruiting, admitting, and enrolling an accomplished and diverse class of undergraduate students to the campus each year. Yang will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and vision as well as achieving annual campus enrollment goals and targets. She will lead a talented team of Admissions staff who evaluate and process more than 150,000 first-year and transfer applications for undergraduate admission annually.

As a member of the AVC-EM’s senior leadership team, Yang will serve as a strategic leader in helping to establish short and long-range plans to achieve the university’s enrollment goals. Yang will also be engaged in key partnerships with colleagues in the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office and Registrar’s Office as well as other key collaborative units within Enrollment Management and across campus including campus faculty, schools, colleges, centers, and more. In addition to Yang’s professional experience, her personal experiences as the daughter of Hmong immigrants, and as a low income and first-generation student, contribute to her dedication to create a more diverse and just educational system where all students can succeed.

We sincerely thank Alison Sanders, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chief of Staff for the Executive Vice Chancellor, for contributing her skilled leadership as the chair of the search committee and sincerely appreciate all of the members of the committee for their time, commitment, and insights throughout the search process.

We also extend our deep appreciation and thanks to Debi Kammerer, who has been serving as Interim Director of the Office of Admissions. Debi will remain in the role until Yang’s arrival and will assist in her transition to UC San Diego.

Please join us in congratulating Blia Yang on her appointment. We are excited for her to bring her skills and experience as a seasoned professional within the University of California system, her ability to direct programs and build relationships, and her deep understanding of the profound impact of higher education on students’ trajectories to the Office of Admissions at UC San Diego.

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

Jim Rawlins
Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management

It is with great excitement that we announce the appointment of Silvia Marquez as the Executive Director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office within Enrollment Management, effective October 3, 2022.

Marquez will be joining UC San Diego from the University of California, Berkeley where she currently serves as the Associate Director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. She is also on special assignment at University of California, Berkeley as the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Implementation Manager. Her prior experience includes serving as Director of Financial Aid at the California College of the Arts as well as interim Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at UC Berkeley. In these roles, she has worked passionately to advance transformative practices in large and complex financial aid and admissions operations, collaborate with campus stakeholders at all levels, develop inclusive campus environments, and advocate for underserved and historically marginalized student communities.

Marquez has a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, East Bay and is currently pursuing her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at the University of California, Davis. Marquez’s experience as a daughter of Mexican immigrants and proud first-generation Latina have fueled her higher education career and her dedication to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As the Executive Director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, Marquez will work under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management (AVC-EM) Jim Rawlins to lead a team charged with administering a robust financial aid program consisting of federal, state, and institutional funds. Marquez will be responsible for the operational oversight and management of all financial aid processes, and she will lead a skilled team of Financial Aid and Scholarships staff who annually execute financial aid and scholarship programs for more than 40,000 undergraduate, graduate, and non-medical professional students.

Marquez will bring her experience at both public and private institutions and thorough knowledge of financial aid policies, processes, and regulations to engage UC San Diego campus constituents in the vision for financial aid. As a member of the AVC-EM’s senior leadership team, Marquez will serve as a leader in helping to establish short and long-range plans to achieve the university’s enrollment goals. Marquez will also be engaged in key partnerships with colleagues in the Office of Admissions and Registrar’s Office as well as other key collaborative units within Enrollment Management and across campus.

We sincerely thank University Registrar Cindy Lyons for providing outstanding leadership as the chair of the search committee and sincerely appreciate the members of the committee for their time, commitment, and insights throughout the search process.

We also extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Rosie Castaneda, who has been serving as Interim Director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. Castaneda will remain in the role until Marquez’s arrival and will assist in her transition to UC San Diego.

Please join us in congratulating Silvia on her appointment. We are excited for her to bring her breadth of professional and lived experience, her ability to forge trusting partnerships, and her passion and commitment to increasing access to our Financial Aid and Scholarships Office and the broader campus community.

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

Jim Rawlins
Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management